Pre-match report

Bundesliga

"We have nothing to lose"

12/05/2019

For the first time in 10 years, the German title race will go down to the final day. Borussia Dortmund will go into Matchday 34 with two points fewer and a significantly worse goal difference, so it might seem as if it's pretty much over. But the matches this week involving Liverpool, Barcelona, Ajax, Tottenham and Chelsea have shown that anything is possible in football – and that it's never truly over until it's over.

The situation is simple: Bayern would have to lose against Frankfurt and Dortmund would need to win in Gladbach if the Black & Yellows are to win the title. "Bayern have everything to lose, we have everything to gain. There's not much more to say," declared BVB chief executive officer Hans-Joachim Watzke on Saturday evening, adding: "The team was under extreme pressure today. But that pressure has now migrated south. We have given everything that we had to give this season. Now we have nothing to lose. There's no more pressure."

Borussia Dortmund have ensured the Bundesliga title will "go down to the wire" for the first time since 2009, said Watzke. "That's good for German football as a whole. And we're a bit proud of that too." In what has been a season of upheaval, BVB have already achieved significantly more than they would have realistically hoped for when they claimed the fourth and final Champions League spot last May. "We're still really hoping for the title, we need to continue to believe and then we'll see what happens. It's not going to be easy for Bayern, I hope it'll be really difficult," said Thomas Delaney. Christian Pulisic added: "If we can win, then we have a chance."

Regardless of the destination of the title, Borussia Dortmund can still claim their third-highest points haul in a season – and even if they lose in Gladbach it will be their fourth-best. The Black & Yellows have already wrapped up second spot in the table for the sixth time in their Bundesliga history, having previously been runners-up in 1966, 1992, 2013, 2014 and 2016. But they have not given up hope of achieving more. "It's still all to play for," declared Sebastian Kehl, who is counting on Frankfurt. "They also need points to stay in the running," he said.

It all depends on what happens on Saturday 18 May (kick-off 15:30 CET), when a BVB XI captained by the returning Marco Reus takes to the field in Gladbach.Boris Rupert

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